Our Forests Weed-ed!

This is something which I have been wanting to write for quite sometime. As I'm new to this blog, I think this would make a nice begining.

This is relating to a recent trip of mine to Kabini Jungle Lodges and Resorts on the banks of river kabini, which is also one of the foremost wildlife resorts in the country. I say foremost because this zone which comes under the Nagerhole National Park limits (Karnataka), is said to be one of the safest abodes for tigers in the country. The density of tigers here is said to be 10 tigers for 100 sq km area which comes next only to Kaziranga and Jim Corbett parks. Also, its close proximity with the IT capital of the country (Bangalore) makes it a favored destinantion for many.

I would not want to get into the details of the stay. As it was a wildlife resort they offered sarfaries twice a day for a couple of hours into the national park, which was the main reason for us being there. The safaries had their own share of exitement, about who spotted the elusive tiger first or any other animal for the matter of fact.

Inbetween all this there was something which caught my eye, which was definitely not soo pleasant. The tracts on either side of the jeep route was filled with Parthenium Hysterophorus(congress weed) in epidemic proportions. This was the last place on earth I expected them to be. It was perticularly peculiar to me as I had'nt seen something like this before. This weed which is absolutely useless and cannot be used by any other species is always a problem anywhere. Least, it reduced the visibility, which made the sightings all the more difficult. The occasional deer we used to spot also went missing, I guess looking for greener pastures towards the interiors of the forest.

Though I must say the trip turned out to be a memorable experience for us, the thought of Parthenium Hysterophorous and how it landed up in one of the most prominent wildlife sanctuaries in the country would always remain a mystery to me.